Charan Singh, Bhai
A Martyr of The Nankana Sahib Massacre (1902-1921)
Son of Bhai Gurdit Singh and Mai Sada Kaur of the village of Kotla Santa Singh in Sheikhupura district, now in Pakistan, was born on 12 Maghar 1959 Bk/26 November 1902. His original name was Karnail Singh and he was renamed Charan Singh when he received the vows of the Khalsa. He attended the village primary school. He had a musical voice and got up a dhadi jatha (band of preachers singing heroic ballads from Sikh history to the accompaniment of small tambourines called dhads and a sirangi, a stringed instrument). He himself played the sarangi.
He was present at the historic Dharovali conference (1-3 October 1920) and at the time of the liberation of Darbar Sahib Tarn Taran (27 January 1921). Charan Singh was a member of Bhai Lachhman Singh Dharovali’s jatha doing duty as a correspondent writing letters to volunteers summoning them to the liberation of Gurdwara Janam Asthan at Nankina Sahib.
He himself accompanied the jatha and fell a victim in the violence unleashed by the custodian Narain Das and his men (20 February 1921).